By Dave Mason
The Center Square

Riverside County is the latest Southern California area to see Mexican cultural events canceled because of concerns over possible U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.

Cancellations were announced after the Democratic supermajority in the California Legislature passed restrictions on ICE officers. Supporters are waiting for Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign bills prohibiting ICE officers from wearing masks and requiring them to clearly identify themselves during operations.

In Riverside County, Festival Monarca y Feria Educativa, which has taken place for over 40 years in downtown Perris, won’t take place this year, according to the TODEC Legal Center, which organizes the event. The festival usually happens on the last weekend of September.

“We do this with heavy hearts but with absolute clarity: Our first responsibility is to protect our community,” the center said on its website.

“With heightened immigration enforcement on the ground and credible fears of ICE raids in our area, we cannot in good conscience invite our families into a space where they could be at risk,” the center said. “Our community’s safety must come before everything else.”

The center said the risks to the community grew after the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing race/appearance, workplace and the use of Spanish to be factors in ICE arrests. The court voted 6-3 to grant the Trump administration’s emergency application for a stay on U.S. District Court Judge Maame Frimpong’s order restricting factors that ICE officers can use for reasonable suspicion.

The only other time the Perris event was canceled took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, the TODEC Legal Center said.

The center’s decision follows one by the city of Long Beach to cancel its annual Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, parade.

The decision was made “out of an abundance of caution to address the genuine fears raised by community members, especially those who may face the possibility of sudden and indiscriminate federal enforcement actions that undermine the sense of security necessary to participate fully in public life,” the city said in a statement over the weekend.

The city said it’s looking forward to holding the parade next year.

Earlier this year, Fourth of July celebrations were canceled in the Los Angeles area because of worries over ICE.

The officers’ operations have led to criticism from leaders such as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a longtime Democrat, who on June 6 accused ICE of sowing terror after enforcement actions that preceded protests and riots directed at ICE.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has reacted to criticism by Bass and other Democratic leaders, warning that vilifying ICE officers endangers them.

“This demonization is inspiring violence across the country,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Wednesday. “Our ICE officers are facing a more than 1,000% increase in assaults against them.”

In California, event cancellations follow the state Legislature last week passing bills that require ICE officers to clearly identify themselves during operations (Senate Bill 805) and prohibit them from wearing masks or face coverings, with exceptions for undercover work and tactical operations where gear is needed for public safety (SB 627).

The legislation will end the “secret police” tactics by ICE agents, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, said in a news release.

Newsom has until Oct. 13 to sign or veto the bills.

“Donald Trump’s secret police are terrorizing hardworking Californians — but Democrats are fighting back to keep our communities safe from Trump’s heartless and illegal ICE raids,” Rivas said.

But state Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, criticized SB 627, the prohibition of wearing masks.

“This is a reckless anti-law enforcement proposal that puts law enforcement officers and their families at real risk, undermining the safety of the men and women who bravely protect our communities,” Strickland said.

“It appears that this legislature is increasingly endangering the lives of law enforcement officers and restricting the essential tools and resources they need to do their jobs effectively,” Strickland said in a statement on his website. “A clear example is Proposition 36, which received minimal funding from Democrats and was outright ignored by the governor.”

Almost 70% of California voters in November 2024 passed Proposition 36, which strengthens sentences for repeat theft and drug charges and offers treatment alternatives to prison.